Latvia University of Agriculture - Latvijas Lauksaimniecības ...

I. Katane Ecology of Education as a New Interdisciplinary Research TrendEcology of Education as a New Interdisciplinary Research TrendI. KataneInstitute of Education and Home Economics, Faculty of EngineeringThe semantics of the concept ecology for many scientists is still related merely tothe research in the field of natural sciences, first of all, in the field of animal and/orplant ecology as well as to the solution of nature protection and sustainability problemsnowadays. It has its substantiation, since the term ecology in the scientific terminologywas introduced by a German zoologist E. Haeckel who was also the founder of the newinterdisciplinary research trend bioecology. Thanks to the research performed by anAmerican scientist Ellen S. Richards and her colleagues, at the end of the 19 th century theUSA became the grounds for the new interdisciplinary research trend — human ecology,which, alongside with bioecology, develops nowadays as an independent trend of ecology.During the 20 th century there emerged and developed new scientific conceptions andtheories, representing different sub-trends of human ecology, because the ecologicalparadigm became an transdisciplinary scientific paradigm. The new trends of humanecology began to develop on the basis of particular sciences, focusing the scientists’attention towards one or several environmental contexts. In human ecology we candistinguish psychological ecology/ecology of psychology, economic ecology, politecology/ecological politology, social ecology, cultural ecology, art ecology, family ecology,anthropological ecology, deep ecology/ecosophy as environmental ethics etc. Humanecology is the universal scientific trend, which provides new — ecological perspectives —for the innovative, up to now unconventional research in different scientific disciplines.The philosophical-methodological basis of the various trends of modern humanecology became also the grounds for the development of ecology of education as aninterdisciplinary trend of human ecology. Ecology of Education is one of the trends ofhuman ecology; the interdiscipline integrating natural, social sciences, and the humanities,which studies the interaction between a human being as individual and/or social systemsand the multidimensional environment from the holistic perspective, viewing educationas the facilitator of the sphere, process, result, and development of human activity inthe aspect of human and environmental quality/trait. Due to the variety of the trends ofhuman ecology, the varied explanations and interpretation of the concept environment arealso transferred to educational ecology: 1) environment — it is us (social environment);2) environment is everything that surrounds us and is outside us; 3) environment — thetotality of the reflections of real things, phenomena, processes in the human psyche; 4)environment is a multilevel ecological system (ecosystem), within which a human beingis as an endosystem, sub-structure of ecosystem; 5) environment is a multi-componentand multi-functional system of interaction, where a human being is an integral part ofenvironment; 6) environment as an interaction process; 7) environment as the sphereof human activities; 8) environment as the field of semantics; 9) environment as aresource; 10) environment as a means for social stratification.Educational ecology possesses the significant potential for interdisciplinary researchand several developmental perspectives, as a result of which through research it ispossible to solve several modern topical problems: 1) promotion of human development,self-realisation in the educational environment; 2) studies and development of differenthuman qualities and their totality (viability; competitiveness; competences; creativity;thinking, mental and emotional flexibility; attitudes etc.) in the educational environment;3) education for: human socialisation and culturalisation; the successful human adaptation,integration and development in the changeable and multi-functional environment: social,cultural, different professions etc. environment; the development and improvement ofhome environment; 4) education for the development of human basic competenciesfor living on changeable conditions, in the rapidly changing human-built, includingenvironment of information and latest technologies; 5) ensuring of lifelong learningin the varied educational environment for the development of knowledge society; 6)sustainable development of educational environment systems, including schools, highereducation institutions, on the changeable conditions; 7) the development, experimentalapprobation and implementation into practice of conceptions and models of an open,Latvia University of Agriculture – 70, 2009 183